Sunday Bloody Sunday

Starring:Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head, Peggy Ashcroft, Tony Britton, Maurice Denham, Bessie Love, Vivian Pickles, Frank Windsor, Thomas Baptiste, Richard Pearson (II), June Brown, Hannah Norbert, Harold Goldblatt, Marie Burke, Caroline Blakiston, Peter Halliday, Douglas Lambert, Jon Finch, Kimi Tallmadge
Director: John Schlesinger
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

With breathtaking verisimilitude, Bloody Sunday posits an immediate, you-are-there re-creation of Ireland's most controversial contemporary tragedy. From dusk to dawn, the events of January 30, 1972, are presented in convincing verité fashion; by employing rapid fade-to-black transitions, director Paul Greengrass approaches two perspectives with equal anticipation of potential disaster, based on facts as reported in Don Mullan's politically influential book Eyewitness Bloody Sunday. Ivan Cooper (James Nesbitt) is, ironically, a Protestant Member of Parliament, leading a peaceful but tensely expectant civil rights march through the Catholic "bogside" of the city of Derry, in protest of the British practice of internment without trial. He watches in horror as his throng of unarmed protesters splinters against British paramilitaries who impulsively open fire. No question where Greengrass's sympathies lie (heard but not seen, the first shots are British), but despite charges of inaccuracy and bias, Bloody Sunday will likely stand as the definitive cinematic representation of that horrible day when deadly confusion reigned supreme. (U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday" plays over the closing credits; any other choice would have been blasphemous.) --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

strong film making.......2007-04-16

The director of Flight 93 shows his talent is no fluke with this mesmerizing retelling of this horrific peace march.

Great film.......2007-03-07

This is a superb movie and one that I will use in future training for my soldiers and officers. Having done riot control on several occasions I can tell you that the military scenes are absolutely realistic. The movie does very well portraying the chos and uncertainty of this type of operation.

The massacre scenes went on for too long. The actual shooting that day didn't last more than a few minutes. The number of soldiers that were present could have inflicted 26 casualties on a crowd like that in a matter of seconds.

Its so easy to lose control in chaos like that. Leaders really have to keep an eye on their people to keep them from getting trigger happy.

Having said that - the marchers don't get much sympathy from me. "Let's go throw rocks at the Army.... that'l show em." or "There's a riot 200 meters away from us but we'll just stand here and listen to our less than bright parade leader because we know that riot can't effect us...." Real Darwin award stuff.

When you do something like that you place your life in the hands of the guy with the gun you're throwing rocks at. Your only hope is that his discipline holds.

This movie is a great tutorial on what happens when that doesnt occur

you may have to remind yourself that you are not watching actual footage..........2007-01-22

This film does a great job of capturing the spirit and atmosphere of this historical event. The movie was made in 2002 and the film is so well-made that you may have to remind yourself that it is a re-enactment and not actual footage. The acting is superb and based on what others have reported the movie has kept to a genuine protrayal of the actual story.

Bloody sunday.......2006-11-10

Not really up to my expectation and I'm not impressed, there was no historical background on the Bloody Sunday, mainaction in the movie were streetfightings, killings etc. Would not recommend.

Bloody Sunday .......2006-11-06

The best movie I have seen in a long time Have watched it a few times and never get tried of it It brought home what the people of Ireland had to go through and the heartache

Average customer rating:

A mature, realistic depiction of relationships...
Brilliant and Bittersweet is Schlesinger's Masterpiece
THAT KISS
An adult film in more ways than one.
Interesting British Drama

Sunday Bloody Sunday
Starring: Peter Finch , Glenda Jackson , Murray Head , Peggy Ashcroft , and Tony Britton
Director: John Schlesinger
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00009Y3NL
Release Date: 2003-09-16

Amazon.com essential video

Sunday Bloody Sunday is a masterpiece from the days when movies, in general, were much more mature. As written by renowned film critic Penelope Gilliatt and directed by John Schlesinger, this complicated love triangle among three upscale Londoners was a milestone for its time, not simply for its nonchalant treatment of a homosexual relationship, but for illustrating the way sensible adults will negotiate for love, even if it's inconvenient or destined to fail. A doctor in his forties, Daniel (Peter Finch, proving his greatness seven years before Network) loves the much younger artist Bob (Murray Head), who also loves employment counselor Alex (Glenda Jackson at her finest). There's no deception between them--just the troubling dilemma of three lovers with differing degrees of certainty and commitment. Bob's relative blandness is the film's only weakness, but it's tolerable in a drama so deeply understanding of complex human behavior. Deliberately paced but immensely rewarding to the attentive viewer, this was Schlesinger's follow-up to Midnight Cowboy--two great films by a director in his prime. --Jeff Shannon

Description

OscarÂ(r) winners* Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch and John Schlesinger pool their talents for this 'remarkable, exquisitely photographed [and] almost perfectly directed film (The Hollywood Reporter) about two Londoners coping with the noncommittal affections of the lover they have in common. Alex Greville (Jackson) and Daniel Hirsch (Finch) are deeply in love...with a young artist named Bob (Murray Head). And though Bob professes to love each of them, he moves freely between them,unencumbered by any sense of guilt. Realizing that their situation is a temporary comfort in an uncomfortable world, Alex and Daniel each grapple with their predicaments, she to face her fear of being alone, and he to come to terms with his homosexuality. *Jackson: Actress, A Touch of Class(1973), Women in Love (1970); Finch: Actor, Network (1976); Schlesinger: Director, Midnight Cowboy (1969)

Customer Reviews:

A mature, realistic depiction of relationships..........2007-04-29

I've always loved this film. It's an incredibly intelligent, realistic depiction of relationships. It is directedly sensitively and beautifully by John Schlesinger, one of the finest British directors. This is his follow up film to his incredible Midnight Cowboy, and he doesn't disappoint. Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson are both in love (or so they think) with Murray Head. This film depicts this love triangle not in a sleazy, comical way (like it would today), but as a deep, thoughtful, painful, and NORMAL thing, just like all relationships. The film, as other reviewers have noted, depicted homosexuality as normal and not a big deal, which it is. The relationships are sensitively handled, and Finch and Jackson give great performances. Head gives a good performance, but some have questioned why his character inspires such passion in Jackson and Finch. He's a rather bland character, but who knows the ways of love and/or desire. I shudder on how this film might be made today, but luckily, I don't think they're going to remake this film anytime soon. This is a wonderful film, and it still holds up today.

Brilliant and Bittersweet is Schlesinger's Masterpiece.......2007-03-03

John Schlesinger's masterpiece is about more than a love triangle. It explores the complexity of human relationships amid the rapidly shifting cultural dynamics of late nineteen sixties' bohemian London. This film is about communication--or lack thereof--among adults who are just starting to grow up.

Ironically, it is missed signals that are the glue that binds the characters together. Calls are made, and calls are dropped. Schlesinger's forte, aside from the deftly crafted cinematography and directing of the actors, is the psychological background of the characters. Past and present are beautifully linked together to provide unsurpasssed richness of character. In the end, the audience is asked to connect these clues to theme, and intercede with their hearts and minds on behalf of the craft and the world it so brilliantly portrays.

THAT KISS.......2006-12-23

"SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY"

That Kiss

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

"Sunday Bloody Sunday" directed by John Schlesinger, a gay English director, now dead is a sociologically astute drama about bisexual love during the early sexual revolution of 1970 and was shocking when it was released in 1973 as it showed the first one screen male-male kiss. It is the story of three characters attempting to navigate the changing mores of the British Empire and it is classic. Daniel Hirsh played by the late Peter Finch is a gay doctor and Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson), a divorced working woman are both in love with the same man, a self-absorbed sculptor, Bob Elkin (Murray Head). Instead of keeping the affairs a secret, Bob chooses to have Daniel and Alex be perfectly aware that the other exists which leads to ruminations on the nature of love, sex and relationships in a society which is built upon class distinctions and fractured lines.
This was a groundbreaking movie at the time for the way it dealt openly with a homosexual relationship and the kiss between the two men. The film nonjudgementally approaches the loneliness of the characters by presenting a social commentary on the exiting system. In fact the movie received for Academy Award nominations including best director and best actor and best actress.
In its slow and meandering way the movie is a character study of three different people who are not all that interesting. What stops the movie from being a festival of boredom is the fluid direction and the incredible performances of the leads and the frankness dealing with homosexuality. Because the characters are treated as almost individual case studies, there seems to be a bit of disjointedness in the script. The main question that is never answered is how Bob came to be involved with two people who are so completely different and why, if Alex is at odds with sharing him, stays with him nevertheless. More intriguing is the relationship of Bob and Daniel but this is not fully explored either especially concerning the age difference between the two men.
The film covers ten days in the lives of the characters as Elkin plays the elusive lover who can't understand why his lovers are at odds with each other. His attitude seems to be that each of them should feel lucky that he even spends time to give them sexual pleasure.
From what I have read about the film, it seems that the movie is based upon an episode in the director's own life and it is a highly stylized film that becomes more involved in the sex scenes than in the development of the characters. It also deals with class issues and British economy but it never really gives the romantic situations a greater meaning than just romance.
The liberal sexual attitude of the film was years ahead of its time as it presented homosexuality as no big deal. It also showed how loneliness can drive people into a relationship against one's better judgment especially when a person knows that it has not much chance of working.
Now let's have a look at that famous kiss that shocked the moviegoers of the time. It wasn't just a peck but a drawn out affair that made history. It is reported that when questioned about it, Finch, a staunch heterosexual said,"I just closed my eyes and thought of England".
There are tow memorable scenes in the movie. The first occurs when Elkin and Alex are babysitting and the interactions between adults and children are hilarious. The other rang closer to home. When Hirsh attends a bar mitzvah, his overbearing relatives try to set him up with a nice Jewish girl.
Considering the age of the film and the fact that the director and Finch are now dead and Jackson sits in Parliament, the movie has held up unbelievably well. What it did more than anything else was present a look into the lives of a trio of people who were trying to grab hold of something they don't have.

An adult film in more ways than one........2005-09-12

This is an excellent film about realistic adult relationships and the compromises we have to make to make relationships work. When the film was released in 1971 however the homosexuality certainly could overshadow the underlying complex but brutally honest story.

I think the best way to review the film is to concentrate on the 3 main characters, all played so very well by a super cast.

Alex, played by Glenda Jackson, is a business woman in her 40's having an affair with a bisexual artist, Bob, who is in his late 20's or early 30's. Bob leaves her at the first hint of conflict or trouble or confrontation to join his Jewish physician lover, Daniel, played by Peter Finch. Daniel asks for relatively little and offers an oasis of thought and tenderness for Bob.

This seems to torture Alex so much that she can't stop from allowing her feelings of rejection and fear of abandonment from driving Bob off the next time they meet. Most telling is her conversation with her mother where she challenges her mother and father's relationship. The father is a cold multi-millionaire that long ago ceased to be involved in a passionate relationship with his wife. Alex's mother confronts her back that she expects to have "it all' in a relationship and defends her marriage with 'you don't think it is anything but you are wrong." Alex is extremely bright and verbal but in many ways a spoiled woman. Yet to be fair, how many people can share a lover? It is possibly one of the most difficult tasks in the world for most and can be so traumatic that the constant worry destroys the relationship.

Bob, the bi-sexual artists, does not have to commit to either Alex or Daniel or to anyone. He is handsome, young, talented, intelligent, and articulate. He is ambitious and sees clearly what he gets from both relationships. He doesn't have to commit so he doesn't. Both lovers, Alex and Daniel, indulge him and adore him. From his perspective he realizes he does not have to choose between them and he enjoys various aspect of both of the relationships. Why should he make a choice? Does he stop seeing Daniel so that Alex will stop obsessing and fretting? I sympathized with Bob. He was indulged and pampered and knew it.

Daniel, the Jewish physician, was superbly played by Peter Finch. This portrayal of a man living multiple identities was extra special. Daniel is the talented and dedicated physican who takes calls from patients night and day. He is wise and learned and compassionate. He listens to opera in a sophisticated garden home - serene and reflective. Yet he is fully engaged in the Jewish community in which he was reared. The scenes of his nephew's Bra Mitzvah convey his strong heritage and roots to the Jewish community. Daniel, more so that with Alex or Bob, conveys the concept of living different identities. Daniel recognizes he is part of the Jewish community, part of the medical community and the patients they see, and part of a same-gender loving community which exists more behind doors that in the open in 1971. Whereas Alex remains tortured most of the film, Daniel ends the film with a speech directly to the camera about the limitations of all relationships,the compromises we have to make in all relationships, and the responsibility to extract from each human experience as much joy and meaning as is possible.

We have a choice in life, we can accept or reject compromise. Both paths have rewards and hardships. This is really the theme of the film.

After 34 years, this film has retained its power, since its power resides in depiction of honest lives and honest situations.

Interesting British Drama.......2004-11-08

"Sunday, Bloody Sunday" was one of the most acclaimed adult dramas of the early 70s, and one of the first major films to address gay relationships. Murray Head stars as a young hippie in simultaneous relationships with physician Peter Finch and businesswoman Glenda Jackson. Finch and Jackson know about each other, and they even share some mutual acquaintances. Needless to say, even though Finch and Jackson are completely enamored of the young man, they're also both frustrated with his inability to give more or commit himself. The film explores these relationships over a tumultuous week.

The film was directed by John Schlesinger as his follow-up to the Oscar-winning "Midnight Cowboy." It's a solid drama of obvious interest for its early, relatively non-judgmental depiction of a gay relationship. Of note, the relationships are handled with sensitivity but are also interesting and complex. The Penelope Gilliatt-penned script (her only film) is top-notch and received numerous awards (National Society of Film Critics, Writers Guild of America) as well as an Oscar nomination.

Finch and Jackson turn in very good performances, which were rewarded with Oscar nominations. Although Murray Head's performance is often criticized for being bland, I think that his cipher-like qualities works well here; you're not supposed to fully understand exactly what Jackson or Finch see in him. Although it's reflective of its era, the film holds up fairly well. Overall, "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is an interesting exploration of adult relationships - straight or gay.

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